More than 500 local and foreign delegates are expected to attend the two-day 6th Asian Mediation Association (AMA) conference starting on Tuesday, Oct. 15 in Taguig City.
The conference, which will be held at the Shangri-La The Fort, Manila, will be hosted by the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) with the support from the SC’s Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) and the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJa).
First Lady Maria Louise Araneta-Marcos will deliver a speech during the opening ceremonies.
SC Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa will deliver the keynote address, while PhilJa Chancellor and retired SC justice Rosmari D. Carandang will deliver the welcome remarks.
The AMA is a group of mediation centers in Asia. It was set up to promote mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and to resolve business and commercial disputes through close cooperation among its members.
The group was set up in 2007 by five mediation centers in Asian countries – Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia. It has conducted five conferences since 2009.
With the theme “Harmony and Strategic Innovations in Mediation and ADR,” expected to attend are judges, accredited mediators for trial and appellate courts, lawyers, government agency officials, and private sector participants.
The SC’s Public Information Office (PIO) said the conference will have eight sessions “designed to foster dialogue, inspire discourse, and share insights on various aspects of mediation and ADR.”
It said topics for each session and the speakers are:
- Family Mediation – retired Philippine Chief Justice Teresita J. Leonardo de Castro
- Access to Justice and Dispute Resolution Across Cultures – Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimba of the Supreme Court of India
- The Use of Mediation in Managing Environmental Disputes – Atty. Brenda Jay C. Angeles-Mendoza, member, ADR Department, PhilJa
- Community Dispute Resolution in the Philippine Context – Atty. Irene D.T. Alogoc, former executive director, Office of ADR, Philippines Department of Justice
- Enhancing International Dispute Resolution Capabilities for the Complex Global Business Environment – Dr. Alfred Chan of the Hong Kong Mediation Center
- Survey of Online Dispute Resolution Platforms – Mr. Anil Xavier of the Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Tool in Mediation – Mr. Daryl Chew, Managing Partner, Three Crowns, LLP, Singapore
- Ethical Challenges in the Age of Digital Mediation – Mr. Chern Yan See of the Singapore International Mediation Institute.
Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva will deliver the closing remarks on Oct. 16, the last day of the conference.